Consider this: Eco-closeup on Beijing

Life in the sprawling capital city of China has been tough lately. For one thing, it’s been hard to distinguish sunrise and sunset in the brown fog of pollution that has enveloped Beijing for days. More than 700 flights have been canceled at Beijing’s airport. Stretches of major highways have shut down because of poor visibility. Store supplies of face masks have sold out. Weather updates from the U.S. Embassy report “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” air quality. A little over a week ago, one pollution measurement exceeded the scale’s maximum.

It doesn’t help that China’s rulers are in full denial mode. They insist the pollution is fog, not particulate matter from car exhausts and industrial emissions. Chinese air quality measurements don’t even record the smallest, most hazardous particles, and the resulting reports call Beijing’s air quality good or excellent 80 percent of the time, while more accurate readings say just the opposite.

To be safe, though, China’s elites have bought 200 of the most sophisticated air purifiers for their offices.

Some are pressing for more accurate measurements and more candid reporting. “As a Chinese citizen, we have been kept in the dark,” said one father. An online posting showed a pall over Beijing, accompanied by the caption: “The end of the world is coming.”